Feed-water heater



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1 S. R. HUGHES.

FEED WATER HEATER.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. R. HUGHES.

FEED WATER HEATER.

Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

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UNITED STATES.

PATENT Orrron.

SAMUEL R. HUGHES, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,587, dated October20. 1885.

Application filed December 18, 1884. Serial No. 150,627. (No model.)

5." 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. Hoenns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Benton Harbor, county of Berrien, and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in feed-water heaters in whichthe water-during its passage through the heater to the boiler is heatedby a series of steam-pipes arranged in the water-chamber in connectionwith a steamjacket surrounding said chamber.

a The objects of this invention are to dispense with the series ofsteam-pipes in the waterchamber, and thereby avoid numerous jointsliable to leakage,owing to the contraction and expansion of the ends ofthe steam-pipes in the opposing heads, in which said steam-pipes arenecessarily expanded; to provide a maxi mum area of heating-surface forthe water, which surface shall be consistent with the de sired supply ofwater and a minimum size of heater, and to arrange and connect thewaterchamber with the outer shell of the heater or other support in sucha manner that the liability of the leakage of its-z joints shall bereduced to a minimumyto simplify the construction of and reduce thenumber of parts heretofore employed in-feed-water heaters.

Further objects are to provide access to a feed-water heater withouthaving to break numerous joints; to provide an effective and novel formand arrangement of devices for removing scum from the water-chamber andfor collecting sediment therein, and, finally, to provide novel detailsof general construction, hereinafter fully described. I attain theseobjects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a feed-water heater embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, atransverse section of the same on the line ax of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is acentral longitudinal section of Fig. 1, taken on a line at substantiallya right angle to that of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinalsection showing another and modified form of construction of thewater-chamber; Fig. 6, atransverse section on the line y y of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

The outer shell, A, of my feed-water heater is cylindrical, and has itsupper end closed by a cover, B, which is bolted to an angular band, a,which may be likewise bolted to or may be an upturned flange on saidshell, a suitable packing being preferably employed between the jointsthereof, and also between other joints occurring throughout thestructure. To the lower end of this shell is bolted an angular collar orband, I), overlapping the edge of a concave bottom, 0, bolted to theband I), which bottom serves as a sediment-collector, as hereinaftermore fully explained. I The bolts securing the bottom to the band I)also secure a diaphragm, c, annular and angular in form ,proj ectingbetween the head and band, and having bolted to its inner and projectinglip the inner shell, D, which is shorter in length than the outer shell.

The inner shell, D, is closed by a cap or cover, E, at its upper end,and opens at its lower end into the head or sediment-collector, as shownin Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

By the construction and arrangement de scribed a steam-jacket, F, isformed between the innerside of the outer shell, A, and the outer sideof the inner shell, D, and also between the covers of said shell, whichjacket has no communication with the water-chamber G, formed by theinner shell, and is supplied by steam entering a pipe, (I, to its upperend and escaping through a pipe, e, toward its lower end, the steambeing supplied through a connection from the boiler, or, if desired,from a superheater, said jacket being also provided at its lower endwith a blow-01f pipe, f, closed by an ordinary cook or valve. In thisconnection it may be added that exhauststeam from an engine may besupplied to the steam-jacket.

Entering the lower end of the water-chamber is a water-supply pipe, 9,provided with a suitable valve for the supply of water to the heaterfrom any ordinary source. The water entering the chamber is heated, aswill hereinafter be fully described, and then escapes through the pipeh, also provided with a regulating-cock (see Fig. 1) to the boiler.

In order to utilize to the best advantage the EOO heat from the walls ofthe water chamber raised in temperature by the steam in the surroundingjacket for heating the water quickly to a high temperature during itsonward and somewhat rapid flow, a cylinder, of wood, vitrified clay,metal, or other suitable material, H, is suspended in the water-chamberby means of projections or screws in the sides thereof, so as to leavean annular space, 1', between the surface of the cylinder and the wallsof the water-chamber. By this arrangement of the cylinder the waterafter entering the water-chamber is spread out into a com parativelythin sheet'over substantially the entire surface of the heated walls ofthe waterchamber, which walls are thereby fully utilized to effectivelyraise the temperature of the water during its onward flow.

The ends, and particularly the lower end of the cylinder, are preferablyrounded or coneshaped to decrease its resistance to and avoid retardingthe flow of the water; but this is not absolutely necessary in carryingout the essential features of my invention.

Instead of using a solid cylinder to form the annular water-space in thewater-chamber, I may employ a hollow cylinder, I, as shown in Fig. 5,connected at its lower end with some suitable steam-generator by asupplypipe, j, and having a pipe, 7c, entering its bottom in a planebelow the steam-supply pipe for permitting a continuous circulation ofsteam in the cylinder and for drawing off condensations therefrom.

While steam is considered the best medium for heating the cylinder I,hot-air may be used to advantage, and in either case a higher and moreeffective heating of the water in its passage through the water-chamberwill be attained than by the employment of the solid cylinder beforedescribed.

In heaters of this character scum is continually collecting in the upperpart of the water chamber and sediment in the lower part thereof, bothof which should beremoved, and thereby prevented entering the boiler todiminish as much as possible incrustation therein. To this end afunnel-shaped scumcollector, K, is supported in the upper part of thewater-chamber by a pipe, Z, (see Fig. 4,) entering the apex thereof andpassing down through the annular water-chamber and out the bottomthereof, where it is provided with an ordinary valve or cock; but saidpipe may, if desired, be passed throughthe cylinder instead of throughthe annularwater-chamber.

In the bottom of the concave sediment-collector O is a short pipe, m,provided with a suitable stop-cock, through which pipe. sediment isremoved.

In operating this feed-water heater steam is admitted in thesteam-jacket and in the hollow cylinder, when the same is employed.After which, when the cold water in the water-chamber is sufficientlyheated, the valve in the exitpipe h is opened and the heated waterpermitted to flow manner.

When for any reason access to the steamjacket and water-chamber isdesirable, it is only necessary to remove the covers of both, or-thecover of the steam-jacket and the bottom 0, in either of which cases itis necessary to break only two joints, and, in fact, only one joint inthe heater, for the removal of the water-chamber from the outer shell.

Supporting the waterchamber from its bottom end alone permits itslongitudinal extension and contraction to be uniform and withoutstraining its joints, and as this contraction and expansion as well aslateral contraction and expansion is greater at its bottom, owing to itsbeing subject to a high degree of heat at that point, the strain uponthe single bot: tom joint is reduced to a minimum and the liability ofleakage correspondingly diminished.

The structure as a whole is not only simple and inexpensive as comparedwith others now in use, but dispenses with numerous steampipes and acorresponding number of joints with their attending liability toleakage, not tov mention the further objection of labor and timeinvolved in removing any one of said pipes when imperfect or otherwiseunfitted for use.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. A single cylindrical water-chamber, in combination with an externalsteam-jacket and anlinternal cylinder having closed ends into the boilerin the usual and forming an annular chamber between the side walls ofthe water-chamber and the said internal cylinder, substantially asdescribed.

2. The water-chamber, in combination with the hollow closed end cylinderarranged to form an annular space in said chamber and means forheating-said cylinder, substantially as describedm 1: r

3. The water' cha'inberand the steam-jacket around said chamber, incombination with a cylinder provided with convexed ends and arranged insaid water-chamber, substantially as described. q

4. The outer shell provided with a removable cover, B, and combinedbottom and sedi- WVitnesses:

'JNo. G. ELLIOTT, W. W. ELLIOTT.

